


Shut Up and Dance with Me

by FanGirlofManyThings



Category: Naruto
Genre: Dancing, F/M, Party, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-11 12:06:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13523922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanGirlofManyThings/pseuds/FanGirlofManyThings
Summary: Neji never could tell Tenten no. *Songfic based on the song Shut Up and Dance with Me by Walk the Moon*





	Shut Up and Dance with Me

**Author's Note:**

> Listening to this song on the radio when the plot bunnies attacked. Enjoy the aftermath!

Neji took another sip of the drink Choji had shoved into his hand some time ago. His eyes wandered across the dance floor. Observing, with detachment, the writhing mass of bodies that filled it. The music was so loud it seemed to occupy space both in the room and inside his head.

Choji had decided that there was too much stress building in all of the young shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village. His solution to this was in front of him now. And while this method may not agree with him personally he had to admit his peers looked much freer and happier than they usually did. 

Spilling out of every room of Choji’s home were young ninja. Laughter and shouting mingled with the music. Some ninja were talking in corners, drinks dangling from alcohol loosened fingers. Neji was relatively sure some ninja had fled by him on their way outside in an ill advised attempt to spar, liquid confidence flowing through their veins. He was pretty sure he had caught a glimpse of Lee with them. He wished luck to whoever tried to spar with Lee. 

Most people however occupied the makeshift dance floor that had once been Choji’s family living room. Neji had tucked himself in a corner, occupying a chair in the kitchen from which he could see the goings on but not be forced to talk with many people. Though some had still sought him out, for what reason he had found difficult to discern. 

Neji shook his head, contemplating exactly how early he could leave without being rude. He came to the conclusion that if he stayed another hour he could leave without too much bother from his fellow shinobi. He would have stayed long enough to have been able to say he was there and hopefully by that time his friends will be been drunk enough and occupied by their own pursuits so that he could slip out unnoticed. 

Neji bit back a rather unbecoming groan and took another sip. The alcohol burned underneath the fruity mask it wore. This was going to be a very long hour. He hadn't even wanted to come, had fully intended to turn down Choji’s invitation. He had seen no reason to attend this...this gathering. 

Several nights ago he had told his teammates almost this exact statement. They had all just finished training and Tenten had asked if they were planning on going. Neji’s response to her question had been met with much blustering from his teammates. Lee had proclaimed it a chance to ‘revel in their youth’. Tenten had told him it was an opportunity to ‘let their hair down’. She had accompanied this statement with a playful tug on some of this hair that had slipped loose during the last sparring match. He had weakly batted her hand away and informed them he still had no plans to attend this gathering. Lee had protested very loudly at this statement for a long moment. 

Then Tenten had grabbed his hand and planted herself in front of him, halting his progress home. Her eyes were full of pleading; her mouth set in his favorite gentle smile. He knew before she even spoke he could not refuse her. Large brown eyes boring into his pale lilac ones, she had uttered one word. 

“Please,” Neji whispered, fingers tracing where her hand had gripped his. When had such a simple word been all it took to change Neji Hyuga’s mind he wondered. 

Suddenly his solitude was interrupted as someone dropped into the seat next to him. Pulling out of his thoughts he regarded the interloper with his usual impassiveness. Though he found it harder to maintain once he realized who was next to him. 

“Tenten,” He greeted solemnly, inclining his head towards her slightly. 

“Geez, Neji,” She giggled slightly. “Looking at you someone might think this is a funeral not a party.”

He did not respond, only drank in her easy smile. She was panting slightly and her face was flushed. Though he couldn't be sure if the pink tingeing her cheeks was from alcohol or from dancing. Her hair was loose from its usual buns, falling down her back in a smooth sheet. The dress she wore clung to all of her curves in just the right way. She was the most beautiful woman here tonight to him. 

“You need to loosen up,” she told him, stealing the drink from his hand. She looked him dead in the eye as she took a sip. He briefly considered protesting but decided the battle had already been lost. 

“This is loose for me,” Though the stiffness in his voice gave him away. Large gatherings like this had always put him on edge. 

She flashed him a knowing smile, “I thought I told you this was a chance to let your hair down.” She swiftly tugged the tie from the ends of his hair. 

He sighed slightly and held his hand out, “Give that back, Tenten.” 

She played idly with it for a moment, twisting it between her long, lithe fingers. She shook her head, “No.”

“Tenten,” his voice held a note of warning. She met his impassive eyes with a mischievous look playing across her features. He'd seen that look before, it often led to trouble for him. 

“I'll give it back on one condition,” she held up a single finger, the tie dangling from it. A smirk played on her lips. “You have to dance with me.”

Before he had a chance to respond, her thin fingers had wrapped firmly around his wrist. She was pulling him out of chair and towards the dance floor before coherent thoughts formed. 

“Tenten, I do not wish to dance,” he attempted to dig his heels into the ground. Though it was a half-hearted attempt. He had never been able to deny Tenten anything for very long. 

“Shut up and dance with me,” she tossed a carefree smile over her shoulder. Just like that his resolve crumbled and he allowed her to pull him forward. 

They slid through the press of bodies, seeking their own space. He caught glimpses of his friends enjoying a night of freedom. Shikamaru had a hand pressed firmly into Ino’s lower back as she swayed to the beat. Her long blond hair flinging freely behind her. A flash of Hinata’s hair as Kiba sent her whirling. He flashed a fanged grin as she let out a shriek of pleasure. Orange clouded his vision briefly as Naruto bounced into him before being pulled back by Sakura. 

He almost bumped into Tenten’s back as she suddenly halted in an open patch of floor. She twirled to face him. Bodies moved in the edges of his vision but he focused only on the woman standing before him. She watched him back for a moment before tenderly brushing her fingers along her cheek. Warmth trailed in the wake of her fingers, it brought the barest hint of a smile to his face. 

“Don't you dare look back,” she told him firmly. She began to sway, finding the beat as the music pulsed around them. “Just keep your eyes on me.”

Ignoring Tenten had never ended well for Neji. So he heeded her words and fixed his gaze on her swaying body. Not that he needed to be commanded to do so. He often found her movements mesmerizing. From holding chopsticks, to practicing her taijutsu every movement she made captivated him. 

Slowly she began moving towards him, never ceasing her dancing nor taking her gaze off his face. She stepped a hair’s breadth from touching her chest to his. 

Time seemed to slow as his hands instinctively rose to her hips. His fingers splayed firmly on her, clinging as though she was the only solid thing around him. She smiled softly at him, tracing her fingers down his shoulders. All of a sudden the pace her dancing increased. She moved more vigorously now. Hands alternating between waving in the air above their heads and alighting along his face and arms. 

Slowly, Neji found himself being pulled into the rhythmic motion with her. A little awkward at first but the smile she sent him gave him confidence. For once he let his awareness of his surroundings fade, until he was focused solely on her. Her movement, her scent, the way she felt under her fingers. They way her hips shifted under his fingers and her hair flicked along with her dancing. He felt so alive dancing with her in this moment. 

He tightened his grip on her hips, tugging her close; trying to close the gap between them. She agreed to his demand, pressing flush against him. Dancing chest to chest now he could feel her every movement. The slide of her leg against his and the way her chest heaved. One of her hands threaded through his hair, the other was on his shoulder. She let out a laugh, full of joy. A joy he felt in the depths of his soul and yet even when he felt this at peace he couldn't express. 

Suddenly, Neji knew he would never be able to see a future without this woman in it. He would never be whole without her. She tempered his rage and helped him find peace within himself. She was beauty grace and the laughter he never shared. Her wonderful, caring soul drew him towards her. He would move earth and sky to be with her. She was his destiny.


End file.
